A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [100]
The jogger, the woman who was another lawyer at Brian’s firm, wore it. Her name was Donna Hardy. Erica had warned Brian about her. Had the woman played on Brian’s moment of weakness? Her blood began boiling at the mere thought, the very possibility.
She closed her eyes and placed her hands over her ears as if to shut out all the damaging evidence that was going through her mind, but the moment she opened her eyes and uncovered her ears, she saw that nothing that was wrong had changed. She refused to believe that Brian had been playing her from the beginning. He had loved her. He did love her. The mere thought that he didn’t was too much to bear.
She wanted to go back to her earlier assumptions that that Donna woman had gotten to him in a weak moment, but even if that was true Erica doubted she could forgive him for what he’d done. He had destroyed her faith and her trust totally.
She stood and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling pain in every part of her body. Knowing she needed to leave, that she couldn’t remain in the perfume-drenched bedroom a moment longer, she went to the door and, taking hold of her carry-on luggage, she beat a hasty retreat down the stairs, with anger raging out of every single pore.
She headed for the door and something made her stop. Maybe it was her love for him, and that part of her that refused to believe what she’d seen and wanted to believe there had to be a reason for it. Maybe he hadn’t slept here last night. What if he had loaned his house to one of his friends? More than one woman could wear Allure. She just refused to believe the worst of the man she intended to marry one day. The man who had promised to love her forever and she thought would never be unfaithful to her.
Deciding he deserved a day in court no matter how damaging things might look, she parked her carry-on at the foot of the stairs and moved toward the sofa. She would wait for Brian to come home as she’d originally planned and then she would ask him to explain.
She moved toward the sofa and stopped when she saw a piece of red cloth sticking out between the cushions. She quickly strode over to the sofa and snatched up the panties that had almost gotten buried between the cushions. Panties monogrammed with the initial D.
She threw the panties down and then dropped on the sofa. Feeling the pain of a broken heart, not only in her chest but in every part of her body, she buried her face in her hands and cried.
With an inward sigh April kicked off her shoes as she walked out of her bedroom. She appreciated the fact that the makeup shoot had ended early today and she would spend the rest of the day relaxing. A soak in her Jacuzzi sounded nice for later, but first she needed to go into the kitchen and find something to eat.
Moments later she was in the middle of preparing a salad when her intercom went off. She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and she moved across the room to answer it. “Yes, Denny?” she greeted her doorman.
“There’s someone to see you. A Ms. Sanders.”
April blinked. Why was Erica in Los Angeles when she should be in Dallas by now? What could have happened to make her change her plans? “Yes, please let her come up.”
April placed the salad in the refrigerator and quickly moved to the door when she heard the doorbell. She hurriedly snatched it opened and gasped in disbelief, almost losing her balance in shock. “Mrs. Sanders! What are you doing here?”
Without waiting for an invitation to come inside, the woman walked past April then turned around with a cold look on her face. “It’s time that we have a talk, April.”
The minute Brian opened the door to his condo, he found it hard to believe his eyes. Erica had consumed his mind and thoughts all day, and now she was here. But instead of the sexy greeting he expected, she crossed the room and pounced on him.
“How could you do this to me? To us? I loved you! I trusted you!”
A shocked Brian reached out to grab Erica’s hand before it could make contact with his face.